Monday, May 23, 2022 at 07:29• Last update: 07:43

Valentijn Driessen is of the opinion that Javier Tebas has no right to speak with regard to the contract extension of Kylian Mbappé. The LaLiga president filed an official complaint after it was announced on Saturday that Mbappé will remain associated with Paris Saint-Germain until mid-2025. According to Driessen, Tebas ‘only thinks of his own skin’. ‘s columnist The Telegraph also draws a parallel with Steven Berghuis.

“It is crazy to give a 23-year-old player the key to your club,” Driessen refers to Mbappe’s control over the new technical director, trainer and purchase policy. “The pledges have not been made because Paris Saint-Germain wants to win the Champions League. No, Qatar, the French Ligue 1 and PSG do not want to lose Mbappe as a marketing tool. His invaluable value should not fall into the hands of Spain, Real Madrid and LaLiga. In 2025, when Mbappe’s contract expires, this saga will repeat itself. He will again receive 100 million euros or more in signing money. Mbappe is well on his way to becoming a sports billionaire, the highest paid and richest athlete in the world.”

According to Driessen, UEFA’s silence about Mbappe’s contract extension says something about football geopolitics and Qatari infiltration into umbrella football bodies. At FIFA, Qatar as the World Cup organizer has been taken on by President Gianni Infantino. At UEFA, PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, is embraced by President Aleksander Ceferin. He is indebted to Al-Khelaifi after PSG “A year ago UEFA helped torpedo the Super League. Under the UEFA flag, PSG can unabashedly continue to scatter hundreds of millions of euros in gas and oil money and thus further strengthen PSG’s position in sporting and marketing.”

Nevertheless, the presence of absolute world stars does not always guarantee sporting success, Driessen also sees. PSG grabbed last season with Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi next to the Champions League. “A parallel can be drawn with Steven Berghuis. His departure would lead to the further collapse of Feyenoord. But the gap with champion Ajax, with Berghuis in the ranks, has narrowed and Feyenoord will play the final of the Conference League on Wednesday. “A team with a clear style of play, a good trainer and some good, normally rewarded players can go a long way. Mbappe can’t make the difference on his own either, whether he earns 100 million euros or 100,000 euros.”